Railway-switch.



No. 800,435. PATENTED SEPT. 26, 1905. H. FENSKE.

RAILWAY SWITCH. APPLICATION FILED nuns, 1905.

HERMAN FENSKE, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

RAILWAY-SWITCH Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 26, 1905.

Application filed March 6, 1905. Serial No. 248,576-

To aZZ 1072,0777 it may concern:

Be it known that I, HERMAN'FENsKE, a citizen of the United States, residing at St. Louis, State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railway- Switches, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to improvements in railway-switches; and it consists of the novel arrangement, construction, and combination of parts, as will be fully hereinafter described and claimed.

The object of my invention is to construct a device to be applied to a railway-track whereby the switch may be automatically shifted by the moving train.

Figure l is a top plan view of my invention in position upon the track. Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the track, showing the location of my invention. Fig. 3 is a detail view of the shifting plate and the operating end of the shifting bar.

In the construction of the device as shown I provide a long horizontal operating-bar 5, located in the center of the road-bed between the rails and guided in suitable bearings 6 and 7, located at each end of the bar 5 and projecting upwardly sufficiently to support the triggers 8 and9. The triggers 8 and 9 have depending links 10 connecting with a fulcrum 11, which is also pivotally mounted between the walls of the bearings 6 and 7. To the fulcrums 11 are also connected one end of the rods 12 and 13, the opposite end of the rod 12 being connected to the bar 5 by the link 14, the rod 13 being connected to the bar 5 by a bolt 15.

Upon the bar 5 is mounted a shifting bar 16, its one end provided with a contacting roller 17, its other end provided with a pin 18, by

which said'shifting bar is pivoted to the bar 5. The shifting bar 16, by means of its pivot 18, is allowed lateral movement, but returned to alined position by the leaf-springs 19, one located on each side of the shifting bar 16 and connected to the bar 5 at the end 20.

A spring 21 connects the shifting bar with the bearing and is for the purpose of bringing the mechanism to its normal position after operation.

A shifting plate 22 is mounted upon a bearing 23 by the pivot 24. A right-angular arm 25 is also pivoted to the plate 22 and its end 26 to a rocking arm 27. This arm 27 is pivoted upon a bearing 28, and the end 29 connected to a connecting-bar 30, which is connected to both members of the switch 31.

Upon the car is located a switch-operating device 32, consisting of a hinged arm 33, provided with a roller 34. This is raised and lowered, as desired, by means of the rod and bell-crank lever 35 from the platform or cab.

To operate the switch, the device 32 is lowered and coming in contact with the trigger 8 will push downward upon the fulcrum 11,

which in turn, through the agency of the rod 12 and link 14, pushes forward the bar 5, carrying with it the shifting bar 16, the roller 17 coming in contact with the surface 36 of the notch 37, formed in the front face of the shifting plate 22, moving the plate on its pivot 24. By this movement the rocking arm 27 is operated, thereby shifting the members of the switch. The springs 19 hold the shifting bar centrally in alinement with the center of the plate 22, yet allowing sufiicient lateral motion to enter the recesses 37 to shift the plate in either direction. The same movement of the triggers will operate the switch.

What I claim is 1. A railway-switch having triggers connected to a sliding bar, a shifting bar, a hori- Zontallypivoted shifting plate, means for shifting the switch members when the shifting bar and plate contact, substantially as specified.

2. A railway-switch comprising a shifting plate mounted beneath the switch, a rocking arm connecting said plate with the switch, a shifting bar adapted to contact with the shifting plate, and a means for contacting the same, substantially as specified.

3. A device of the class described, comprising a plurality of triggers, a sliding bar extending from one trigger to the other, a shifting bar carried by the sliding bar, a shifting plate, a roller carried by the shifting bar and adapted to contact with the recessed face of the plate, a rocking arm connected to the switch and manipulated by the plate, and means for manipulating the same, substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof I affiX my signature in presence of two witnesses.

HERMAN FENSKE.

Witnesses:

ALFRED A. EIoKs, GEO. THIER. 

